Age is not a Cage Part 5: 8 Ways to Help Improve Sleep
As we continue to post about our “Age is not a Cage” series on Beyond Medicine, sleep is an important topic. As people age, their sleep patterns tend to change as well. Sometimes, it gets harder to fall asleep, and they may wake up 3 to 4 times during the night. They may have increased awareness of having slept poorly, with less time is spent in deep, dreamless sleep.
Regular sleep patterns include cycles of dreamless periods of light and deep sleep as well as periods of active dreaming. The latter is referred to as the REM – Rapid Eye Movement phase. These patterns occur several times during a night’s sleep.
Other causes for disturbed sleep in the aging are the need to pass urine at nights, anxiety, or discomfort due to other chronic diseases such as sleep apnea. The result is often a lack of restful sleep. This can manifest as irritability, chronic tiredness, confusion and even depression. Insomnia can also be related to depression.
It is important for both the aging person and their loved ones to recognize this problem and suggest or make some positive lifestyle changes such as:
- Taking a light snack or warm beverage before bed.
- Trying to sleep around the same time every night.
- Practicing relaxation techniques (such as meditation) at bedtime.
- Use your bed only for sleep or intimate activities.
- Darkening your bedroom before sleep.
- Listening to soothing music before sleeping.
- Doing some exercises daily to help you sleep.
- Taking short naps during the day.
Also, it is important to AVOID the following:
- Taking stimulants such as coffee, tea, colas, chocolate, ice cream before bed.
- Long naps during the day.
- Too much stimulation such as violent TV programs or computer games in bed or before going to sleep.
- Tobacco products before bed.
Developing good sleep hygeine through the above practices are likely to help improve sleep. Should these measures not be as useful as expected, it is critical to consult your health care provider.
If you are on medication for chronic disease, discuss this with your doctor. You may need a change or something to help you sleep in addition to the current medication. However, it is better to sleep with lifestyle changes than to take sleeping pills. Some antihistamines tend to help with sleep but it’s not wise to abuse these.
Remember, sleep patterns tend to change as we age, hence we need to take appropriate actions at the first signs of having difficulty going off to sleep, and continuing to monitor our sleep patterns.
Share with us what helps you to fall asleep easily.
